Ex-mayor takes aim at re-election claims

Former Shoalhaven deputy mayor Gareth Ward has hit back at claims that he would not have been re-elected.

Greg Watson, the former Shoalhaven mayor, made the comments yesterday.

A member of councillor Watson's independents team, Shoalhaven councillor Gary Kearney, is the new Deputy Mayor after defeating Nigel Soames.

Cr Ward says he never intended to stand again if he was preselected for the Liberal Party.

"Look, I'm surprised by Cr Watson's comments ... I announced back in April that should I be successful for Liberal Party preselection that I wouldn't be standing, unlike Cr Watson that only seems to be interested in counting numbers he should be really focused on serving the community," he said.